I went curling for the first time over the holidays at the Granite Curling Club in Seattle. I really didn’t know what to expect as my only previous exposure to the sport of curling was limited to what I saw on TV coverage of past Olympics.

After a lesson from our instructor, we played a game with two teams of four people. I was surprised by how heavy the curling stones were (about 40 lbs.) and how easily they slid down the ice. Only a small amount of force is needed to slide the stone down to the target on the other side of the ice. Not being a skater, I was initially anxious about slipping on the ice. But, with a pair of “grippers,” my feet had plenty of traction on the ice. Launching the stone properly definitely takes some practice as the “slider” throws off your balance on the launch. I thought the most fun was sweeping in front of the sliding stone to influence its speed and path.

I learned that curling is not my favorite sport but its fun enough that I would definitely play again.